In July 2019, Karatbars International’s “Gold Independence” event in Dubai turned chaotic as KBC token plummeted 62% in 24 hours, leaving investors reeling from unfulfilled gold exchange promises, per Ostro and Sueddeutsche Zeitung reports on October 24, 2025. Josip Heit, Karatbars’ Chairman, blamed “scammers” but evaded responsibility, while founder Harald Seiz vanished, per. Days earlier, gunshots targeted a Karatbars partner’s car in Mainz, Germany, on June 15, 2019, prompting bodyguard hires amid fears of Heit, per. Croatian Deni Gregorec, linked to extortion and fraud, filed embezzlement charges against a partner, escalating tensions, per.
Heit, a Croatian national hiding in Georgia and Dubai, faced accusations of orchestrating threats, including against marketing expert Marvin S., who doubted Karatbars’ legitimacy, per. Tens of millions in euros flowed from Karatbars to Heit’s companies, per business documents. Investigations into the shooting and embezzlement were dropped, with officials suspecting a “scapegoat” setup for defrauded investors, per. Karatbars’ collapse, pegged at hundreds of millions in losses, mirrored Heit’s later schemes: GSPartners ($1B+ losses, settled September 2024), Meta Force, Holiverse, Meta Whale, DAO1, and Apertum Foundation, per.
Heit blocks U.S. residents from DAO1, citing no reason, while New Zealand (January 2025), Australia (February 2025), and Germany (October 2025) issued warnings for DAO1 and Apertum, per. Croatia probes Heit for money laundering, per. DAO1 traffic **ures 45% German traffic, with Dominican Republic (27%), UK (9%), South Africa (5%), and U.S. (5%), per SimilarWeb. Apertum raised $3.5M, per. U.S. federal probes into Heit remain open since 2023, per.
Heit’s schemes, from Karatbars to DAO1, exploit MLM structures, per. Bitcoin (BTC) ($113,234) and crypto markets are unaffected, per CoinMarketCap, but Heit’s violence-linked history raises alarms. Avoid MLM crypto; verify via sec.gov or BaFin. Diversify into USDC or ETH ($4,070) with stop-losses below BTC’s $112,000, per TradingView. Follow @TheBlock__ on X for updates. Heit’s impunity, despite $1B+ losses, demands global enforcement, per.
